Multitrussed unit



sept. 4,1945.

E. P. BURKE MULTITRUssED UNIT Filed-April's, 1942 lm... A30 1^ l l L ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1945 MULTI'rRUssnD UNI'r l Edmund P. Burke, SanMarino, Calif.

This invention pertains to a multitrussed unit in the form of a panel, such panel being adapted for use as a roof slab, ooring unit, wall or' partition unit, or wherever it is. desired to employ a prefabricated structural unit which is capable of supporting loads. The panel unit of the present invention is herein termed a multitrussed unit in that it has shear members extending in a plurality of different directions so that the panel has an effective radius of gyration,.section modulus and moment of inertia along both longitudinal and transverse axes. Moreover, the multitrussed panel unit of the present invention has an extremely high efllciency whereby large loads may be successfully imposed on and carried by the panel unit, per square inch of metalV or other structural material employed in making the panel. Y

The particular arrangementV o'f members em-V braced by this invention gives rise to a panel or structural panel u nit which has rigidity and stiff? ness longitudinally, laterally and transversely and in its preferred form is'capable of supporting or carrying greater loads per pound of metal employed in the panel than any other known con struction.

It is an object of the present invention, there#l fore, to disclose and provide means and methods of utilizing structural materials such as the various metals in sheet, rod, angle iron or other preformed shape, in the formation of an effective multitrussed unit in panel form.

It is a further object of the present 'invention to'disclose and provide an arrangement or elements whereby panel units having an effective and appreciable radius of gyration,l sectionv modulus and moment of inertia both longitudinally and laterally, are obtained. y

A still further object of the present invention is to disclose methods of utilizing existing structural materials such as wire, expanded metal lath, angle irons, straps, trussed panels characterized byV lighter weight and greater strength than structures of the prior art.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become .apparent Yto those skilled invthe art from the following detailed description of certain exemplary forms.

In order to facilitate understanding, refer-V ence will be had to thel appended drawing which exemplifies certain forms which the present invention may assume.

In such drawing: "f

Fig. 1 is an end view of a form of multitrussed panel.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the plane V-V of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates a relatively lightweight ceiletc., 'to produce multi-v ing or partition 13th.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through 'a spectively, ,of a modified form of panel unit in;

which the upperand lower panel planes comprise sheet metal as indicated at 25 and 26. The in tervening, angularly inclined truss portions, gen-y erallyindicated at 21, 28, 29, etc., may be made'V of punched metalas shown in Fig. 2, leaving the angularly inclined truss portions 30, 3l and the the angularlike;l 'I 'he size andA arrangement of ly inclined truss portions 30 and 3l may lne-varied greatlyand the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of truss portionsiillustrated in the drawing. The .truss portions, such as `portion 2B, for examplemay be perforated with circular cut-outs s0 arranged as. to leave Aintervening web portions, which interven-` ing web portions then constitute the diagonally.

inclined stress distributing portions similar to the members 30 and 3l. The various=truss portions 21, 28, 29 and the like may be welded or riveted to the unit plane members 25 and 26or other.-

wise firmly attached thereto.A It is to be under-.1

stood that the webs of the portions suchas 21,5 28, 29, etc. (herein referred to as truss portions) may be perforated, cut out', assembled from vari. ous straps, strips orV elements, or in somecases, be imperforate.4 .Y The remarkable stability and characteristicsof the panel unit will be appreciated from the following data con-'- cerning a panel unit having a depth of only 3 inches. The distancea tance b was 1 inch. The' top and bottom panel unit sheets 25 and 26 were'made of 12 gage metal (0.109") the truss members 21, 28 and the like were'mad'e of 16 gage metal (0063"). el'weighed only 11.6 pounds per square foota'nd along the :rf-x axis had amoment of inertia of '7.30 inches4, a second modulus of 4.57 inches:i per footand a radius of `gyration of 1.51". Along the y-y or longitudinal axis the panel had a moment of inertia of 6.30 inches, a section mod-4 per -feet and a radius of gy The eiliciency in the'utiliza'4 ulus of 3.95 inches3 rationof 1.56". tion of the metal may be represented by the section modulus divided by the weight, which elllciency was 0.390. In other Words, a panel of4 this type, supported at its ends or sides only and.

uniformly loaded, and having a 10 foot span, even though it only 'weighted 11.6 pounds per squarev foot 'with a working stress of 16,000 pounds per square inch, would be able to support 486 pounds' per square foot on axis. :ce-zc and 420 poundszon.

axis y-ll. Particular attention is called to the panel Iemploying expanded metalbe embodied in a greai'fof the character here disclosed- .was 5 inches and the dis- This pan-y 2y l fr 2,384,157 y. l

fact that the radius of gyration about longitu- Numerous modications canV be made, as those dinal and transverse axes was very high, the raskilled in the art will appreciate. Bars, rods, dius of gyration along one axis being not less channels, angles, Wires and other forms of structhan 60% of the radius of gyration along the tural material maybe employed in constructing other axis,- and as a matter ofv fact, Ainthe in- 5 the panel units. Smaller and lighter panel units stant example constituted over 90% so that the such as'those 'illustrated in Figs. Sand 4, could diierence in radius of Vgyration along diierent be made continuously or in continuous lengths axes Was less than -and then cut to desired widths. Heavier panel Attention is called to the fact Athat in the luni-t units could be made from prefabricated partipanels of the present invention, most of the stru'c- "10 'tions 'or'could be assembled from sheets, pretural material employed is positioned` at a :maxfabricated trusses and the like.

imum distance from the neutral axis so that it t Y Thev multitrussed panel units of the present is eiectively placed at the extreme outside face inventionl can--be used not only as floor slabs, planes of the unit panel. In this manner, the ceiling slabs, soit structures, Walls and partistructural material, such as steel, employed in tions, but may also be employed as a reenforcing the construction of a unit panel is utilized to in monolithic structuresgsuch as walls, beams or great advantage and for a given Weight of steelv girders. l l Y the unit p'anel of this invention Will have-a much It is to-be noted that inalltof the forms of the greater strength and will be able to support a invention, thetrussportions or'webs lie in planes much higher load than any structures. known inclined to the face planes, sothat high resistheretofore. ance to shear (resistance ato relative movement The inventive thought of the present invention of face planes in the direction of such planes) may' also fbe applied .to the production of lgl'it.- is attained,vand theV unit Will'not'collapse. The weight, rigid Ypanel units adaptedfor use in .the connecting means, such as the truss portions 27, construction of thin partitions within a lbu'ilding `25,' 28, 29 arev inclined sufficiently tothe plane of orfor seits and the like'. Figs.3 and 4 exemthe faces to resist such shear, or relative moveplfya structure composed essentially of expandment between the face planes, substantially solely ed metal, such as the ordinary expanded metal by-compressive and tensile'strength of the webs lath which has been deformed into a plurality of or trussfportionsA and nOt by bending. ribs Yhaving the inclined faces 46,47', 48 and .they 30 Attention is also called ,to the fact .that staii-ke. Wires or rods 49, 5o, 49' andthe iikeare` bility and Strength of the preferred forms of welded to the apices of the. ribs thus formed Vin units made in LaCCOidarlCewith this yinvention is the continuous sheet of expanded Vmetal lath and due, in part at least, to the fact that eccentrcity transversely extending rods or bars y5| are then has been minimized.` In the preferred forms of attached, in spaced relation, to the apices lying the present inventio` therefore, center planes in a 'panel unit face or plane. Similar transpassing through the webs of-adjacent longitudiversely extending, longitudinally spaced bars 52. nalin-extendingmemberswill intersect in a line are attached to the apices of the opposing panel Which' iS spaced from 'the ,center or neutral axis unit face. Transversely extending :bars 5| and 0f the face Plane member a dlstanee 110i in eXCeSS 52 :may be welded directly to the longitudinally 40- of four tiinesA the thickness 0f Such face pianeY extending rods 49 and 5D through openings in member. When these the expanded Wire mesh or they may be Iwelded y maintained. remarkable rigidity and Strength directly to the mesh. As shown in Fig. 4, the Will be ObservedV in the unit panel.

transversely extending members 5l and 52 are ValilS ChangeS, mOdfCatiOiiS and adaptapreferably in the same transverse plane, although tions Will OCCHI t0 i'fhSe'Skll'ed' in .the art, many this is not essentiaL v for-ms ofthe invention being'possible, the prelIt will be noted that-the expanded metal'lath Ci'Se fOim being determined by available mateforms longitudinally extending trusses 46, y41, y48 rialS, 10b t0 be dene by the 'unit and the like, and asvbestshowninFiga, such Overcome, etc- A11 Changes'fco metal lath has substantially continuous,4 diago- 50 scope of the appended claim are embraced theren-ally extending, stress distributing portions or by members leading from one panel unit face to Claim:

thefother. The resulting structure is remarkably A"p0tab1a `mii1i7trilSSed unit having Spaeed strong and rigid. For example,Y using an 'exface planes, comprising: Va sheet of expanded pandedmetal lath Weighing 2.5l'bs.per square 57 metal deformed into a plurality of lndividually tance of 8 inches in each panel unit face, itnwas 6b and lyingat an/angle to horizontal and vertical namely, 0.3750, Y

The muititrussed partition lunit':illustrated in To am of the face members a dlstalw? not m exs 'gseli` and 4, may be placed 1n Ya ,'verticalA posireenfor'ced rigid partition. y n 

